I’ve done the math, planned out my budget for a year and… I decide, this weekend, if I’m going to be spending the season on the slopes.

I keep asking myself, “what would it take to do X”? And I worked out, I have what I need. I’ll need to pay food, rent, utilities, incidentals, gas, insurance, etc while I’m up there. I’ll need to set something aside for emergencies. Gear, from a board to thermals, is essential. Travel expenses. All that. I have it.

What are my other options? 1) I could go at the end of December. An extra few weeks at work reduces my time on the slopes but it also means saving up a bit more. It doesn’t make sense to go mid-December, since I’ll be home for XMas and that mucks the plan all up. So it’s either early Dec or late Dec.

2) I could just not go at all.. you know, continue to work a day job for the rest of my life. Many people do this. Most people do this. I don’t have a family to support so this isn’t a question about being responsible to those commitments. If I had chosen a family ten years ago, I wouldn’t be asking this question now.

But I don’t want to be an employee for the rest of my life. And my expenses are low enough (now with debt almost paid off) that I can take some time to make a go of working for myself. Option 2 isn’t really an option.

3) I could plan on going next year. The most appealing part of this option is that I don’t have to do anything… I sit on my butt at my current job and wait. I can build up savings and investments, build a portfolio of projects, etc etc.

So, do I go now, or next year?